5 problems to note in car airbags

Below are possible incidents that can lead to accidents while using the car airbag system.

1. Airbag light stays on

The case of the airbag light continuously on when the car is running is a warning phenomenon to the driver that the airbag system is faulty. Some common causes of this phenomenon are oxidized or broken electrical connectors, damaged steering wheel coils and airbag sensor problems...

When this happens, the car owner needs to take the car in for repair soon, or replace parts if they are severely damaged.

2. Sensor not working

Based on the operating principle of the airbag, the electronic controller will receive signals from sensors to determine the deceleration of the vehicle. When the controller receives a large enough deceleration signal or when there is a collision, it will provide the corresponding airbag detonation current.

However, in reality, due to poor use or storage, the airbag sensor may lose sensitivity, and the airbag may not deploy in time when it collides with the vehicle. This is also considered the main cause of unfortunate accidents with the driver, even in cases of not-so-serious collisions.

3. Self-deploying airbag

The cause of expired airbags also indirectly causes the phenomenon of spontaneous deployment or unexpected explosion in the vehicle's airbag system. Of course, this also causes no less danger to the driver's control and observation process.

To fix this problem, car owners also need to bring their cars in for regular inspection and maintenance of the airbag system.

4. Expired

Airbag latches that have not been used for a long time, or airbags that have been manufactured for a long time but do not deploy during use due to the driver's safety concerns... are often the cause of the airbags not working in the event of an unexpected collision.

Therefore, even if not used for a long time, car owners should regularly check the airbag system when maintenance is due to ensure the airbag always works well when an incident occurs.

5. Explosive potential

The most recent high-profile incident involving Takata airbags was determined by many experts to be due to the chemicals and materials that make up the airbags combined with the temperature and pressure environment leading to an explosion, causing injury to the driver.

Although this is a fault from the airbag manufacturers themselves, for consumers, the most important thing to know is the "condition" of the airbag, which is to check and maintain it effectively before encountering an actual problem.

* Operating principle of airbag system

As standard, conventional cars are equipped with two airbags, one for the driver in the steering wheel and one for the front passenger located on the dashboard.

When a vehicle collision occurs, the airbag sensor will determine the level of the collision based on the deceleration. If the collision level exceeds the specified value, the central airbag controller will send a signal to activate the gas generator to release a large amount of gas within 10 - 40 milliseconds to inflate the airbag, creating an air cushion between the person and the internal hardware to help absorb most of the impact force.

Airbag activation depends on many factors such as impact angle, impact direction, impact force and not necessarily on vehicle speed. Front airbags are activated in the following cases:

- The car collided with a fixed concrete wall at a speed of 25km/h.

- Frontal impact area from the center of the vehicle.

- Hit straight into the curb (sidewalk), the impact mark touches the entire front of the car where the main load-bearing beam is located.

- The car fell into the hole and the front of the car hit the edge further away.

- The car plunged headfirst into the abyss.